Young Involved Philadelphia to host discussion on schools crisis | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Young Involved Philadelphia to host discussion on schools crisis | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Young Involved Philadelphia to host discussion on schools crisis

by thenotebook on Aug 20 2013 Posted in Events

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Earlier this summer, Young Involved Philadelphia, an incubator of civic-minded leaders, argued that the nascent Philadelphia renaissance, powered by the flocking of educated millenials to the city, was endangered. To remain dynamic, the group said, the city must retain these future parents. The city's public school system, eternally in crisis, now more than ever, threatens to drive young people away.

YIP is hosting a discussion on the current crisis in Philadelphia's public schools and where to go from here. 

On the panel:

• Jessie Gluck, teacher, Mastery Charter - Mann Elementary
• Susanna Greenberg, secretary, Young Involved Philadelphia
• Kathleen Melville, teacher, School District of Philadelphia 
• Ami Patel, deputy education officer, Mayor’s Office of Education
• Claire Robertson-Kraft, president, PhillyCORE Leaders
• Brett Schaeffer, communications director, Education Law Center

The discussion will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wed., Aug. 21 at the United Way building, located at the intersection of 17th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 

Tickets for the event have apparently sold out, but YIP has said that there may be standing room for people who couldn't get tickets. 

Camelot Schools will not move into Germantown High building next month

by Aaron Moselle for NewsWorks A plan to move three alternative-education programs to Germantown is now on hold. For more than two months, officials with Camelot Schools have worked towards bringing students from Excel Academy North, Excel Academy South and Camelot Academy to the Germantown High School building. Camelot wants to lease the four-story property from the Philadelphia School District,

by thenotebook / 23min 

8-20-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

Teacher Pensions: The Stupid Keeps On Comin'

Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!! As the Philadelphia School District scrambles to come up with enough cash to open for students in September, a new report suggests the city’s school funding crisis is on par with municipal issues in Detroit, Chicago and elsewhere.  At the heart of it all: pensions.  Payments to retired teachers and public employees are a growing threat to government budgets everywhere, and it is no different in Philadelphia. A new report from the Thomas Fordham Institute, a conservative education nonprofit, estimates the district’s total retirement costs will balloon from $73

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8-19-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluations: Countdown to "Operation Hindenburg"We are at around t-minus two to three weeks, depending on your district, until the launch of New Jersey's new teacher evaluation system, code name: "Operation Hindenburg." Unfortunately, just like the fabled zeppelin, this entire thing could be avoided if the people in charge would just stop and think for a minute: Superint

by mike simpson / 6h 

The Underachievement School District | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

The Underachievement School District | Gary Rubinstein's Blog:

The Underachievement School District

by Gary Rubinstein

If you’re a parent, a student, or a teacher, the last thing you want to hear is that the state you live in has been commended by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, as a ‘reform’ leader.  This has been occurring recently in the state of Tennessee.

The state education commissioner of Tennessee is former TFA VP of public affairs, and long time casual acquaintance of mine from the time were were in TFA together in Houston in the early 1990s, Kevin Huffman.  Huffman is also a member of the ‘Chiefs For Change,’ a group of education ‘leaders’ who blindly support the corporate reform agenda.

One experiment going in in Tennessee is the creation of The Achievement School District (ASD) which has on its website the slogan “We are the ASD: Proving the Possible by moving the bottom 5% of schools in Tennessee to the top 25% within five years.”  Notice that the way this is phrased, it implies that they are having success.  They are not “trying to prove” but actually “proving” that they have the secret to doing what nobody has ever done, or even come close to doing.

The superintendent of The Achievement District is someone who is more than a long time casual acquaintance from my Houston days, but a bona fide friend from those days.  We share an unusual bond as in his first year he taught the sixth graders who had been left back that I had taught the previous year, my first year.  Though he wasn’t one of my best friends, I did hang out with him a good amount, from what I remember.  I like Chris, and he actually still answers my tweets on twitter, which is more than I can say for some other ‘reformers.’  When I saw he was chosen for this job, it gave me some hope since I have known him for over twenty years and 

8-20-13 Truth in American Education

Truth in American Education:

Maine Group Working Toward Ballot Measure to Repeal Common Core

In the Maine newspaper, the Morning Sentinel they run an AP story about a Maine group trying to get rid of the standards via the ballot box.No Common Core Maine and the Maine Equal Rights Center say they will soon submit a proposal to the state for a ballot measure to repeal the Common Core Standards. They would need to collect more than 57,000 signatures before it would go before voters in Novemb

18 by Shane Vander Hart / 50min mark as read  //  save

NY School Superintendent on Common Core: Stop It, Scrap It or Fix It

Dr. Joseph V. Rella the Superintendent of Schools for Comsewogue School District in Port Jefferson Station, NY was appalled by the results of the New York Common Core Assessments.  He sent a letter to State Senator Kenneth LaValle (R-Mt. Sinai) expressing his concern.  See below. NY School Superintendent Letter to NY State Senator LaValle on Common CoreHe also robo-called families in his school di

100+ by Shane Vander Hart / 50min 

This Wave is Coming to Kill Common Core

Via the Tampa Bay Times – “Common Core curriculum standards spark political firestorm”An excerpt:That wasn’t always the case. When the initiative launched in 2009, lawmakers from both parties, teachers unions, parent groups and business associations supported it. They made the argument that national standards would raise the bar for students across the country and enable educators to compare stude

100+ by Shane Vander Hart / 50min mark as read  //  save

Common Core Conference at the University of Notre Dame

From FightCommonCore.com, this will be a great conference to be held next month at Notre Dame University in Indiana.The Changing Role of Education in America: Consequences of the Common CoreUniversity of Notre DameSeptember 9, 2013You can register online here.Please join us for a one-day conference at the Notre Dame Conference Center in South Bend, Indiana, as leading experts from across the count

49 by Shane Vander Hart / 50min 

Common Core Math: 3×4=11 is Ok?

The Daily Caller highlighted the video below.  I had seen it before and I posted on this already at FightCommonCore.com, but I haven’t here and wanted to make sure our readers have seen this (even though I a, sure many of you probably have).A little context.  This is a video taken of Amanda August who is the curriculum director for the Grayslake D46 school district in Grayslake, IL northwest of Ch

100+ by Shane Vander Hart / 50min 

Shanker Blog » Proficiency Rates And Achievement Gaps

Shanker Blog » Proficiency Rates And Achievement Gaps:

Proficiency Rates And Achievement Gaps

Posted by Matthew Di Carlo on August 20, 2013

The change in New York State tests, as well as their results, has inevitably resulted in a lot of discussion of how achievement gaps have changed over the past decade or so (and what they look like using the new tests). In many cases, the gaps, and trends in the gaps, are being presented in terms of proficiency rates.

I’d like to make one quick point, which is applicable both in New York and beyond: In general, it is not a good idea to present average student performance trends in terms of proficiency rates, rather than average scores, but it is an even worse idea to use proficiency rates to measure changes in achievement gaps.

Put simply, proficiency rates have a legitimate role to play in summarizing testing data, but the rates are very sensitive to the selection of cut score, and they provide a very limited, often distorted portrayal of student performance, particularly when viewed over time. There are many ways to illustrate this distortion, but among the more vivid is the fact, which we’ve shown in previous posts, that average scores and proficiency rates often move in different directions. In other words, at the school-level, it is frequently the case that the performance of the typical student — i.e., the average score — increases while the proficiency rate decreases, or vice-versa.

Unfortunately, the situation is even worse when looking achievement gaps. To illustrate this in a simple manner, let’s take a very quick look at NAEP data (4th grade math), broken down by state, between 2009 and 2011.

The table below summarizes “score versus rate trends” for three measures. In the first column are the trends in rates and gaps for students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch (FRL), a rough proxy for poverty. The second column is students who are not eligible. And, finally, the third column is the trend in score/rate gaps between these two groups. The numbers in the table represent the number of states.

So, for example, among FRL-eligible students, there were 43 states in which the average NAEP score and the proficiency rate moved in the same direction between 2009 and 2011 – that is, either both increased or both 

8-20-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Diane Ravitch is Coming

With her new book (Reign of Error) on September 26, 2013.   Her talk will be at Kane Hall (Red Square on the UW campus) in Room 130 from 7-8:30 p.m.  Free and open to the public.  REIGN OF ERROR. An incisive, comprehensive look at today’s American school system that argues against those who claim it is broken and beyond repair; an impassioned but reasoned call to stop the privatization movement th

by Melissa Westbrook / 31min 

Tuesday Open Thread

Off the next Charter Commission meeting on Thursday - looks like they still don't have an Executive Director.  Maybe they'll have more info on the charter lawsuit (as it pertains to their work). FYI, there are a couple of open seats coming up on the State Board of Education.  Mary Jean Ryan's (Position 6 - our area) will be expiring in January 2014 as does Judy Jennings( private school rep), Phyll

by Melissa Westbrook / 47min 

Grading your peers can be vexing in an online class

One of the things you learn in an online course on public speaking is how to evaluate a speech. If you want to become a better public speaker, it’s helpful to understand why some people are so good at it, and others are not. But if your fellow students deliver an awful speech, how do

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Superintendent To Meet with Native American Parents

I understand that the Superintendent is scheduled to have a long meeting today with Native American parents and leaders.  I'm sure it will be a compelling discussion and I hope he listens.Like all of U.S. history with Native Americans, the Seattle Schools' history doesn't have a whole lot to hold its head up about.  I'm not even part of that community, nor was it on my radar for many years but eve

by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 

8-19-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Rethinking the Mann Building UseIn the "what!?" category, the Times is reporting that the district is "reconsidering" their plans for the Horace Mann building which is to rehouse Nova High School.  There are some pretty unbelievable statements like:- in one place in the article the Times says the district has not been charging rent to any of the gro

by mike simpson / 15min 

8-20-13 Missouri Education Watchdog

Missouri Education Watchdog:

Common Core Graphic Seen in School. Unattainable Goals and Free Stuff.

I've heard from many parents who are horrified at what they have seen and heard on the first day of school.  This was seen on the first day of school somewhere in the United States (the teacher's face was cropped to protect her identity): Sounds like utopia.  Let's examine this teacher's graphic: All students will be college ready: this claim is for a 2 year college according to Jason Zim

20 by stlgretchen / 1h 

8-19-13 Missouri Education Watchdog

Missouri Education Watchdog: My Common Core Conversation with KHQA in Quincy, IllinoisMaggie's Notebook published an article about an interview I did in Quincy, Illinois where Anne and I appeared at a Common Core presentation.  Maggie did an excellent job with the transcription and we want to thank her for spreading the word about CCSS. From  Common Core: Mandated Not Law, Not Funded, Not Evidence

by mike simpson / 25min 

Christina Hoff Sommers: School Has Become Hostile to Boys | TIME.com

Christina Hoff Sommers: School Has Become Hostile to Boys | TIME.com:

School Has Become Too Hostile to Boys

And efforts to re-engineer the young-male imagination are doomed to fail

By Christina Hoff Sommers @chsommersAug. 19, 2013

 As school begins in the coming weeks, parents of boys should ask themselves a question: Is my son really welcome? A flurry of incidents last spring suggests that the answer is no. In May, Christopher Marshall, age 7, was suspended from his Virginia school for picking up a pencil and using it to “shoot” a “bad guy” — his friend, who was also suspended. A few months earlier, Josh Welch, also 7, was sent home from his Maryland school for nibbling off the corners of a strawberry Pop-Tart to shape it into a gun. At about the same time, Colorado’s Alex Evans, age 7, was suspended for throwing an imaginary hand grenade at “bad guys” in order to “save the world.”

In all these cases, school officials found the children to be in violation of the school’s zero-tolerance policies for firearms, which is clearly a ludicrous application of the rule. But common sense isn’t the only thing at stake here. In the name of zero tolerance, our schools are becoming hostile environments for young boys.

(MORE: Your First-Grader Is Going to Be a High School Dropout)

Girls occasionally run afoul of these draconian policies; but it is mostly boys who are ensnared. Boys are nearly five times more likely to be expelled from preschool than girls. In grades K-12, boys account for nearly 70% of suspensions, often for minor acts of insubordination and defiance. In the cases of Christopher, Josh and Alex, there was no insubordination or defiance whatsoever. They were guilty of nothing more than being typical 7-year-old boys. But in today’s school environment, that can be a punishable offense.

Zero tolerance was originally conceived as a way of ridding schools of violent predators, especially in the wake of horrific shootings in places like Littleton, Colo. But juvenile violence, including violence at schools, is at a historic low. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that in 2011, approximately 1% of students ages 12 to 18 reported a violent victimization at school. For serious violence, the figure is one-tenth of 1%. It does no disrespect to the

Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/19/school-has-become-too-hostile-to-boys/#ixzz2cWu6hrWa

Federal grants support counseling, STEM in California schools + Brown vetoes career tech certification bill SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Print this article

Federal grants support counseling, STEM in California schools
By Kimberly Beltran
Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Eleven California districts are among 35 from across the country receiving grants under a $12.3 million U.S. Department of Education program designed to support or expand counseling services in elementary schools.

Three other California districts have been named recipients of a separate Department of Defense grant aimed at promoting science, technology, engineering and math – as well as foreign language – curriculum in public schools serving military children.

In all, the 14 districts will receive a total of nearly $7.5 million for academic and support programs.

“School counselors serve a critical role in ensuring that students are safe,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement issued late last week announcing winners of the counseling grants. “These grants will enhance school-based counseling programs, which have proven to be a great source of help for students with mental-health issues.”

The Department of Education grants will enable the winning schools to hire “qualified mental-health professionals” with the goal of expanding the range, availability, quantity and quality of counseling services, the statement said.

Faced with limited resources, especially during the last five years of significant budget cuts, school districts across the state have eliminated many student support programs and personnel, including counselors and psychologists.

The Cajon Valley Union School District plans to use its $399,304 grant to hire three full-time counselors and one half-time for its eight elementary schools, which currently have no counselors, according to middle school counselorMadalyn Brion-Reed.

The other 10 districts earning counseling grants are Alhambra, Cutler-Orosi, Desert Sands, Earlimart, Elk Grove, Montebello, Mountain, Sierra Sands, Summerville and Willits. The awards ranged from $200,000 to $399,304.

The funds may also be used to support parent involvement, counselor and teacher professional development, and 

Brown vetoes career tech certification bill

Gov. Jerry Brown shot down Monday widely embraced legislation that would have allowed local educational agencies to award performance certificates to students who met specific benchmarks in career technical education.

10min 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, August 20, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

New national standards pump extra $113 million into LA Unified

LAUSD teachers want more time to plan for new curriculum

Common Core Tests are Not Good for Children or Other Living Things - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Education Headlines

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

New national standards pump extra $113 million into LA Unified

The Los Angeles Unified School District will soon have an extra wad of cash on hand. It's getting $113 million from the state of California over two years to phase in new national standards called the Common Core.

Civil rights activists call for end to 'willful defiance' discipline

As students across the state return to school, civil rights activists are hoping a bill working its way through the California Legislature will decrease the disproportionately high number of expulsions and suspensions among some student groups.

LAUSD teachers want more time to plan for new curriculum

With the Los Angeles Unified school board being asked to spend $113 million to implement a new curriculum, the district and its teachers union released separate poll results Monday rating how educators view their training for the new Common Core standards.

What's new in KHSD classrooms this year? Portable toilets

The toilet substitutes were put in 1,800 classrooms in the district. They are a part of FEMA's National Incident Management System that says each classroom should have a bathroom facility in case a lockdown forces students to stay inside.

Pajaro Valley first-graders first to see smaller classes

When teacher Caryn Lane's first-graders plopped down on the rug marked off into 30 brightly colored squares, there was plenty of room left. In fact, eight spaces remained empty.

Simi Valley campuses start school year with technology changes

For an educator on the first day of school, being unchained from a desktop computer in an office represents power and security - benefits shared by many other teachers and administrators Monday in the Simi Valley Unified School District.

Monday, August 19, 2013

New leader brings youth to Oxnard School District

It's only August, and the city of Lawndale is already missing its Santa Claus. Every Christmas, Cesar Morales, then assistant superintendent of human resources at the Lawndale School District, dressed up and rode around in a sleigh passing out candy canes. But Santa has left the Los Angeles County city to become the new superintendent of the Oxnard School District.

Enrollment up in many Marin schools this year

"We're seeing increased enrollment in many districts," Marin County Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke said. "Mill Valley has 200 more kids. San Rafael has an increase in numbers. We are lucky to get more children this year."

Frey: Principals take the initiative to keep school open in the summer

Despite tight district budgets, some principals in Los Angeles Unified and Oakland Unified have on their own initiative figured out a way to provide programs this summer by reaching out to their local communities and private foundations for support.